Saturday, November 6, 2010

Metamorphosis

This is supposed to be My Year. The Year I've Been Waiting For.

My children can officially dress themselves in weather-appropriate ensembles. They are now old enough that they cringe at the sight of me in a Halloween costume. Particularly when I wave at them maniacally from the curb. They can find their own snacks without setting the kitchen ablaze. These were my first clues that it had finally arrived. The Year of Paula.

Like Kafka's Gregor I plan to metamorphosize. Hopefully my resulting transformation will be more of a positive experience for me than it was for poor Gregor. For starters, I hope not to repel people. In fact, I hope the opposite to be true. Hopefully this year and this blog will be the start of a journey that will take me to new wonderful places and help me meet fantastic people. I hope to make it a positive experience for those around me and I want to pass my excitement on to the children I teach and those that I raise. And I hope to avoid setting off the smoke detector in my kitchen as much as possible.

I usually measure my year in school years. September to September. I don't think I'll ever stop measuring my years this way and since I intend to teach art in elementary schools, I suppose it's fitting. So from September 2010 to September 2011 I will attempt to do the following:

  • Update my illustration website. (Thank you to web designer Linda Bradler, designer to the stars. And me.)
  • Start substitute teaching.
  • Get certified to teach art.
  • Finish illustrating the children's books I've written.
  • Continue to keep my family fed in the half-hearted manner to which they've become accustomed.
  • Not get so distracted with all the above that, instead of art, I create roadkill.
  • Keep you updated on all of the above. Particularly the roadkill.

12 comments:

  1. I set off the smoke detector everyday... I wish you more success than that!

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  2. Thank you Anna for being my first follower and first comment. Us working moms need more than a smoke detector to get in our way!

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  3. Hey Paula! Ummmm, yea, so I have a pseudonym and a lil blog too. You're my first cross-over person. I'll give you a hint as to who I really am. I <3 David Foley.

    This is great and I have to say hella yea for Year Paula! Soooo excited for you. I will help in any way possible. Where can I pre-order those children's books? Talk to you soon over on the facebook. Penelope is on the down-low, don't ya know, so keep this between us, ok? Just had to come out and support you! Mwah!

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  4. Love you Penelope. Send me a link to your blog in a FB message or email and I'll keep it quiet.

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  5. Yay, Paula! Glad to see your blog has pushed off from shore in a hail of shattered champagne bottles. Actually, next time I see you, I'll smash some champagne on you. Or maybe whatever is handy. A ketchup bottle or something.

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  6. Thanks, now if I can only work out the glitches...Image sizes, etc. Thanks for being my mentor on this one.
    We have a lot of ketchup here so I'm sure we'll have a bottle handy when you visit.

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  7. Love the blog!!Hooray for year of Paula.You are so talented. P.S instead of roadkill I have some ground hog carcasses out in the back... Sounds like I live in a trailer...eh?

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  8. Love it! I think the "new" Paula should visit "old" friends in Colorado this year!

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  9. Mazel Tov on your blog. And as soon as you finish your to-do list, we can work on illustrating my book...(Stacy). He, I am blogging over at workingmother.com (sassymom) so if you read mine I'll read yours.

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  10. Love the blog! (I can relate, and you always make me laugh..) Love the "Year of Paula!" (I think my year may be comin', too..) You are funny, talented, amazing--Go Paula!!
    Adrian

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  11. Congratulations on goal setting, moving forward, and sharing the madness with us. Best of luck, and if you need anything, let me know...

    The Other Frida

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  12. Thanks all!
    Other Frida, I think it's insane that we are following such similar paths. If neither of us gets in to the schools soon we should start our own school. Like the Barbizon School. Only it will be the SPF School!

    Stacy,
    You'll like (or be annoyed by) my next post which is all about childrens books and how everyone asks their artist friends to illustrate theirs. I'm giving it a week before I post it so you won't all feel overwhelmed by how entertaining I am. (Tongue firmly inserted in cheek here.)

    Truthfully, however, if you have written a book you should submit it as is. From what I saw at RH when I was there, publishers rarely hire a new artist unless they are also the writer. They would be more likely to sign the book and then use an artist they are familiar working with. Of course you can always suggest they look at my work!! :-)

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